NWT 2025 Track and Field Championships
NTSSA 2025 Track and Field Championships
| MITE GIRLS (7 & UP) | MITE BOYS (7 & UP) | TYKE GIRLS (8-9) | TYKE BOYS (8-9) | |
| 50 m | Kenzie Bourque, JBT | Zion Fabien-Ferrol, STJ | Lacey Skelton, WELE | Conall Healy, ITLO |
| 100 m | Kenzie Bourque, JBT | Zion Fabien-Ferrol, STJ | Lacey Skelton, WELE | Owen Fane, ITLO |
| 200 m | Kate Mantla, CJB | Lawson Kugler, STJ | ||
| 400 m | Rayne McRae,ITLO | Wyatt Freund, JBT | ||
| 800 m | Rayne McRae,ITLO | Hawke Morin, ITLO | ||
| High Jump | Marin Marrai, ITLO | Wolf Tatem, STJ (NR) | ||
| Long Jump | Kate Mantla, CJB | Owen Fane, ITLO | ||
| Standing Long Jump | Jade Tourangeau, NJ | Jasper Froese, HCS | Marin Marrai, ITLO | Hudson Maund, RLN (NR) |
| Softball Throw* | Haizleigh Guild, HCS | Zion Fabien-Ferrol, STJ | Kate Mantla, CJB | Ethan Boudreau, ITLO |
| PEEWEE GIRLS (10-11) | PEEWEE BOYS (10-11) | BANTAM GIRLS (12-13) | BANTAM BOYS (12-13) | |
| 100 m | Jazm Fabien-Ferrol, STJ | Preston Maniragaba, ITLO (NR) | Lukka Nolting, WMC | Jayden Hwata, WMC (NR) |
| 200 m | Hailey Stephenson, ITLO | Preston Maniragaba, ITLO (NR) | Lukka Nolting, WMC | Jayden Hwata, WMC (NR) |
| 400 m | Hailey Stephenson, ITLO | Preston Maniragaba, ITLO | Belle Smith, PA | Jaxin Coombs, ÉB |
| 800 m | Emma Fleet, ITLO | Holden Reid, ITLO | Lilia Townson, WMC | Jaxson Godreau |
| 1000/1500m | Arya Townson, ITLO | Zak Benning, ITLO | Lilia Townson, WMC | Jaxin Coombs, ÉB |
| 3000m | N/A | N/A | Lilana Marrai, SJF | |
| High Jump | Nola Babiuk, ÉB | Dominic Froese, PA | Louise Henry and Lukka Nolting, WMC (NR) | Jayden Hwata, WMC (NR) |
| Long Jump | Hailey Stephenson, ITLO | Dominic Froese, PA | Lukka Nolting (NR) | Jayden Hwata, WMC (NR) |
| Triple Jump | Mickyler Hanan, PA (NR) | Dominic Froese, PA | Belle Smith, PA (NR) | Jack Walsh, STJ |
| Shot Put | Laila Ryan, KAL (NR) | Emmett Wyman, NJ (NR) | Havanna Paulette, PKW | Frederick Lefort, ÉASC (NR) |
| Discus | Noelle Ruggles, PA | Antoine Sanfacon, ITLO (NR) | Allison Cane, WMC | Ace Wickens, WMC |
| Softball Throw* | Noelle Ruggles, PA | Emmett Wyman, NJ | Charlene Tale, LII | Jacob Kotokak, MILD |
| MIDGET GIRLS (14-15) | MIDGET BOYS (14-15) | JUVENILE GIRLS (16-17) | JUVENILE BOYS (16-17) | |
| 100 m | Ayanna Darku, SFJ | Gavin Rose, STP | Kaylia Locke-Setter, SJF | Karter Carson, STP |
| 200 m | Ayanna Darku, SJF | Gavin Rose, STP | Beatrice Henry, SJF | Karter Carson, STP |
| 400 m | Ayanna Darku, SFJ | Yuma McEachern, WMC | Mia Locke-Setter, SjF | Hudson Shymko, SJF |
| 800 m | Solenn Kikoak, PWK | Jordi Casas, SJF | Desiree Breitbach, SJF | Logan Doll, SJF |
| 1500 m | Solenn Kikoak, PWK | Garritt Mbimbo, STP | Mia Locke-Setter, SjF | Logan Doll, SJF |
| 3000/5000m | Liliana Marrai, SJF | Toryn Wheler, SJF | Bridgid Murphy, STP | Logan Doll, SJF |
| High Jump | Araliya Fox, WMC | Byron O’Brien, DJSS (NR) | Kaylia Locke-Setter, SJF | Joe Depwe, STP |
| Long Jump | Kaiah Carter, DJSS | Hayden Frost, SJF | Beatrice Henry, SJF | Devin Apsimik-Frise, KAL |
| Triple Jump | Kaiah Carter, DJSS | Byron O’Brien, DJSS | London Black, SJF | Devin Apsimik-Frise, KAL |
| Shot Put | Ayanna Darku, SJF | Greyson Fabien, DEN | Ria Rogers, SJF | Joe Depwe, STP |
| Discus | Jolie Wolki, ETS | Seth Gordon, SJF | Ria Rogers, SJF | Calen Knight, SJF |
| Javelin | Lexi Brandford | Johns-Courtoeille, PWK | Bridgid Murphy, STP | Karter Carson, STP |
| Softball Throw | ||||
| JUNIOR GIRLS (18-19) | JUNIOR BOYS (18-19) | |||
| 100 m | Annabelle Churchill, SJF | Khalec Abooelnaga, DJSS | ||
| 200 m | Annabelle Churchill, SJF | Khalec Abooelnaga, DJSS | ||
| 400 m | Brooklyn Bodnar, ETS | Malachi Morin, YKTC | ||
| 800 m | N/A | Adam Clinton, SJF | ||
| 1500 m | Mackenzie Schwartz, DJSS | Stephen Moore, KAL | ||
| 3000/5000m | Brooklyn Bodnar, ETS | Stephen Moore, KAL | ||
| High Jump | N/A | Khalec Abooelnaga, DJSS | ||
| Long Jump | Annabelle Churchill, SJF | Sebastien Kikoak,PWK | ||
| Triple Jump | Brooklyn Bodnar, ETS | Ian Cayen, DJSS | ||
| Shot Put | Zandria Bernhardt,ETS | Grayson Kilen, SJF | ||
| Discus | Zandria Bernhardt,ETS | Adam Clinton, SJF |
Softball Throw* = Weighted Throw in results sheet
School Codes
| CJSB | Chief Jimmy Bruneau School | MILD | Mildred Hall Elementary School |
| DEN | Deninu School | MMS | Mackenzie Mountain School |
| DGS | Deh Gáh (Ft. Providence) | NJ | N J MacPherson School |
| DJSS | Diamond Jenness Secondary School | PA | Princess Alexandra School |
| ÉASC | École Allain St-Cyr | PWL | Paul William Kaeser High School |
| ÉB | École Boreale (Hay River) | RLN | Range Lake North (Yellowknife) |
| ETS | East Three School | SJF | École Sir John Franklin |
| HCS | Harry Camsell School (Hay River) | STJ | École St Joseph School; |
| ITLO | École Įtłʼǫ̀ (École J.H. Sissons School) | STP | École St Patrick High School |
| JBT | Joseph Burr Tyrell (Fort Smith) | WELE | Weledeh Catholic School |
| KAL | K’alemi Dene School | WMC | William McDonald Middle School |
| LII | Líídlįį Kúę Regional High School (Fort Simpson) | YKTC |
NWT Track and Field Championships attract athletes from 12 communities
Large teams from Yellowknife compete with smaller schools, such as Kakisa Lake and K’àlemì Dene, over three days
Posted By: James O’Connor June 9, 2025
The 2025 NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River will now pass the baton to next year’s gathering.
At a high-energy closing ceremony on Friday afternoon, dozens of medallists were called up to the podium in the common area at Diamond Jenness Secondary School to the cheers of families, organizers and students.
One of those medal recipients was Kate Lafferty Mantla, of Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchokǫ̀, who said she practices three times a week — but not in winter.
“I really like it a lot,” she said, with her three red ribbons fluttering in the breeze.
She won her 200-metre race, ball throw and long jump.
Her father, Dave Lafferty, said the Hay River event is getting better each year.
“Everyone gets to meet new friends, new people — it’s a good atmosphere,” he said. “So that’s a good thing about it.”
In all, 1,039 athletes attended this year’s championships — up slightly from last year — representing teams from 12 different communities.
Organizers said they were pleased with the way the championships played out, as it’s never easy scheduling over 1,000 athletes to competed in a host of events, including either running, throwing and jumping.
This not to mention playing host to parents, chaperones, media and onlookers.
More than eight records ended up being broken — five in categories for female athletes — including: masters women’s 5,000 metres; girls’ 13U high jump; girls’ 13U triple jump; girls’ 13U long jump; and girls’ 11U shot-put.
Co-organizer Tim Borchuk at the podium during closing ceremonies at Diamond Jenness School of the 2025 NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River. (James O’Connor/CKLB)
And while wildfire smoke threatened at times, weather conditions were overall perfect for outdoor athletics. A strong breeze each day kept the biting bugs at bay.
Co-organizer Tim Borchuk thanked all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this year’s championships a success.
“We have volunteers from all the schools in town, volunteers from businesses who are lending us their employees for the day … and I want to send out a huge thank you to them,” said Borchuk, who also pointed to a long list of sponsors who are crucial to the running of the championships.
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Track and field athletes shine once more in Hay River
More than 1,000 participants from a dozen communities compete
The NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River is in the stretch run with just one more day to go
before it comes to an end for another year.
Everything got underway beneath a sunny sky and warmth on Wednesday with the long-distance events and some of the field events for the older competitors. The first records of the championships fell on opening day as Amy MacDonald of the Hay River Track Club set the new mark in the women’s 5,000-metre event, winning in a time of 22:27.
The other new benchmarks included Louisa Henry of William McDonald School breaking the record in the 13U girls high jump and Belle Smith of Hay River setting the new distance in the 13U girls triple jump with a leap of 9.35 metres.
The bulk of the events got underway on Thursday with the heats for the sprint races kicking things off and a plethora of field events. One of the more exciting competitions on Thursday afternoon was the 15U boys high jump. The final came down to Garritt Mbimbo of St. Pat’s and Byron O’Brien of Hay River in a straight duel to determine the winner. Mbimbo would miss all three attempts at 1.53 metres to finish second, but O’Brien ended up making clearing the bar to win it all.
After clinching victory, O’Brien had a chance to go for the record as is custom in high jump. For the 15U boys, the mark was at 1.68 metres set by Hay River’s Bryce Smith in 2016, meaning the bar was set at 1.69 metres. O’Brien missed all three attempts at the record height, but he asked officials for one more shot just for fun knowing it wouldn’t count.
Guess what happened? He beat the mark.
O’Brien said if he’s being honest, his ankle wasn’t feeling great after winning.
“It kind of gave out after my third jump and when I did the fun one, I could really feel it,” he said. “It was still fun being out there and competing against the boys.”
He’s not upset about it, he added, because it’s just one of those things.
“You just have to learn and grow and keep getting better,” he said.
In all, a total of 1,039 athletes are at this year’s championships with teams from 12 different communities. William McDonald School has, by far, the largest contingent with 121 athletes.
Thursday’s conditions were less favourable than opening day with clouds, cooler weather and a heavier
concentration of forest fire smoke. That smoke led to a postponement of the proceedings at around mid day Thursday, which lasted around 20 minutes after officials deemed it acceptable to resume.
“We just took the precautions and we had to stop things for a bit, but we got through it and everything picked right up where they left off,” said JJ Hirst, co-chair of the meet’s steering committee.
Overall, Hirst said he was pleased with the proceedings.
“I’ve always said we have the toughest kids in the world,” he said. “They’ll run through snow, sleet, rain,
whatever gets thrown at them. Our volunteers do such a great job and they’re making sure they still have their spot from the year before. They just do an amazing job.”
The overall champions weren’t known as of press time. See the next edition of NWT News/North for the results of the closing awards.
‘Extraordinary’ performances break records at Track and Field 2025
The 2025 NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River closed on Friday with at least eight broken records.
The official list of new records – and their holders – will be released to the public on Saturday. Some details were still coming in on Friday afternoon.
Event organizers confirmed records have been broken in the masters women’s 5,000 metres, girls’ 13U high jump, girls’ 13U triple jump, girls’ 13U long jump, girls’ 11U shot-put, boys’ 11U 100 metres, boys 11U 200 metres and men’s 35-plus triple jump.
Track and Field organizers JJ Hirst and Tim Borchuk told Cabin Radio the number of records broken was “extraordinary” compared to last year’s competition.
“There were still a couple that fell [in 2024] but not like this year,” said Hirst.
Borchuk said the turnout for Track and Field this year was “amazing.”
“We’re almost to the point now where we were before Covid,” he said. “We’re maybe 100 kids out.”
Weather conditions were far more pleasant this year for Track and Field, with warmer temperatures and clear skies compared to last year’s rain. Hirst said while there were concerns on Thursday surrounding wildfire smoke, the championship was able to resume after only a 20-minute break.
“It cleared up,” said Hirst. “And hey, it got hot and today was cool in the morning and beautiful in the afternoon. Perfect track weather.”
Borchuk told Cabin Radio athlete morale has been up throughout the whole competition.
“I was talking to some of the coaches and they’re saying that their kids are exhausted,” said Borchuk. “They’ll be sleeping on the buses going home.”
“I walked around that track the last three days and I didn’t see one kid without a smile,” added Hirst.
“Every kid you see, they’re having a great time. Whether it’s opening ceremonies, hanging out with their friends, cheering them on, everyone had a smile on and that includes spectators, parents, officials. It was just an awesome meet. One of the best.”
Hirst and Borchuk said the community worked together to help Track and Field run smoothly thanks to volunteers, local groups and sponsors.
“Two people don’t make a track meet,” said Borchuk. “A community does.”